4 Steps to Getting Settled in your New Home

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Moving is exciting, but I’m not going to tell you that it’s all daisies and roses. It’s difficult making your new place into a home, especially if you are just leaving college. College was home, but it was a temporary home. However, wherever you live post-grad is going to be your new permanent home: you are no longer living under your parents’ roof and you are a strong, independent woman/man.

Getting settled in your new home is not easy, but it’s not a cake walk and it’s not going to be positive vibes the whole way. The question is, how do you make settling into your new home a little bit easier? As someone who moved eight months ago and didn’t feel settled right away, I’m here to help! Let me help you get settled into your new home: read on!

It may feel like your new home will feel cluttered, but the less brown UPS boxes around, the quicker your place will turn from a “house” into a home. Plus, if you do this, you will be able to see everything and not just assume what items you have in each box. The quicker you unpack and have everything out, the faster you will feel moved in and quicker you can become settled. Start with area rugs, so you can put those down, and then furniture, and then miscellaneous items. Don’t forget: break down all of the boxes and make sure you recycle them (gotta think about the environment).

Step #2: Purchase Decorations

The first thing on your mind when you move into a new place isn’t to buy a bunch of decorations (even though it’s tempting to want to purchase anything and everything off Etsy and Wayfair). You don’t want to buy items that aren’t going to fit or bring together your new home, so please wait until you get measurements and see how your furniture looks in your new place. If you want to get settled, start with getting picture frames and canvases with photos of loved ones, and then do some fun decorations that speak to you and your personal style. You won’t feel settled until your new home no longer looks like a blank canvas.

Step #3: Know When to Stop Making Changes

So, envision this: every box is unpacked, all furniture is delivered, all the items are in the correct spot, decorations are up, and you can feel a potential housewarming party in the near future. However, at the same time, you can’t stop making changes. You need to know when to stop. You think tweaking and making tiny changes are going to make your house feel like a home, but it won’t. The bottom line is that it’s going to take time for you to totally feel settled in your new living space. This feeling of not feeling settled is because you just haven’t spent enough time in your new home yet, you won’t feel settled until you get completely settled in. I will say it one more time: making changes won’t make you feel more settled.

Step #4: Hold a Gathering

Once you stop making changes, it’s time to have people over to your new place. Having friends and family over at your new home will be the next step to making your new living space feel more comfortable and will help you feel settled. It doesn’t have to be a big gathering, but having people in your new living space will make it feel like you are starting to live your life in your new home. The more you have people (familiar faces) around, the more it will feel like you were meant to spend this next phase of your life there. You can do a housewarming party, a pregame of some sort, a cocktail party, a sleepover, or anything that your heart desires! Take advantage of having this new space available to you.

These are the four steps to getting settled into your new apartment. There are a few ways I could’ve helped you get settled—I could have told you the long checklist I had to make sure that I was physically settled into your new home, but getting emotionally settled is equally, if not more, important. However, I want to warn you: it takes time. You will not feel totally comfortable right away, and that’s okay.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable for the first two or three months. Obviously, set your expectations high for what this new phase of your life will look like, but remember it won’t look or feel like the picture-perfect ending right away. Be friendly, get to know your neighbors, accept help when you need it, learn to feel comfortable being alone in your new space, and, the more you enact these steps, the quicker you will feel settled. Good luck and happy moving!

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